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Long John Baldry
| birth_place = East Haddon, Northamptonshire, England | death_date = | death_place =Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | origin = | instrument = Vocals, guitar | genre = Blues, blues rock, folk rock | occupation = Singer – Voice actor | years_active = 1957–2004 | label = Warner | associated_acts = Blues Incorporated, R&B All Stars, Hoochie Coochie Men, Steampacket, Bluesology, Elton John, Rod Stewart | notable_instruments = }} John William "Long John" Baldry (12 January 1941 – 21 July 2005) was an English-Canadian blues singer and voice actor. In the 1960s, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing the blues in clubs and shared the stage with many British musicians including the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Before achieving stardom, Rod Stewart and Elton John were members of bands led by Baldry. He enjoyed pop success in 1967 when Let the Heartaches Begin reached No. 1 in the UK, and in Australia where his duet with Kathi McDonald You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' reached No. 2 in 1980. Baldry lived in Canada from the late 1970s until his death. He continued to make records there, and do voiceover work. Two of his best-known voice roles were as Dr. Robotnik in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and as KOMPLEX in Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars. Early life John Baldry was born at East Haddon Hall, East Haddon, Northamptonshire on 12 January 1941, the son of William James Baldry (1915-1990), a Metropolitan Police constable and his wife, Margaret Louisa née Parker (1915-1989); their usual address was recorded as 18 Frinton Road, East Ham. His height was noticed as a baby thus giving him his "Long" nickname during his childhood Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2005-2008. His early life was spent in Edgware, Middlesex where he attended Camrose Primary School until the age of 11, after which he attended Downer Grammar School (now Canons High School). Blues bands of the 1960s Baldry grew to , resulting in the nickname "Long John". Baldry appeared quite regularly in the early 1960s in the Gyre & Gimble coffee lounge, around the corner from Charing Cross railway station, and at the Brownsville R. & B. Club, Manor House, London, also "Klooks Kleek" (Railway Hotel, West Hampstead). He appeared weekly for some years at Eel Pie Island on the Thames at Twickenham and also appeared at the Station Hotel in Richmond, one of the Rolling Stones' earliest venues. In the early 1960s, he sang with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, with whom he recorded the first British blues album in 1962, ''R&B from the Marquee. At stages, Mick Jagger, Jack Bruce and Charlie Watts were members of this band while Keith Richards and Brian Jones played on stage, although none played on the R&B at the Marquee album. Heckstall-Smith, Dick and Grant, Pete. Blowing the Blues: Fifty Years Playing The British Blues. Clear Press, 2004, page 241. . (R&B From The Marquee lineup) When The Rolling Stones made their debut at the Marquee Club in July 1962, Baldry put together a group to support them. Later, Baldry was the announcer introducing the Stones on their US-only live album, Got Live If You Want It!, in 1966. Baldry became friendly with Paul McCartney after a show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in the early 1960s, leading to an invitation to sing on one of The Beatles 1964 TV specials, Around The Beatles. In the special, Baldry performs "Got My Mojo Workin'" and a medley of songs with members of The Vernons Girls trio; in the latter, the Beatles are shown singing along in the audience. Around the Beatles, Associated-Rediffusion Television (UK), first broadcast 6 May 1964; DVD release in several editions, including Beatles Around the World (RBC Entertainment, 2003) In 1963, Baldry joined the Cyril Davies R&B All Stars with Nicky Hopkins playing piano. He took over in 1964 after the death of Cyril Davies, and the group became Long John Baldry and his Hoochie Coochie Men featuring Rod Stewart on vocals and Geoff Bradford on guitar. Stewart was recruited when Baldry heard him busking a Muddy Waters song at Twickenham Station after Stewart had been to a Baldry gig at Eel Pie Island. "The Making of a Legend" by Rod Stewart at LongJohnBaldry.com, originally published in Reader's Digest, December 2004. Long John Baldry became a regular fixture on Sunday nights at Eel Pie Island from then onwards, fronting a series of bands. In 1965, the Hoochie Coochie Men became Steampacket with Baldry and Stewart as male vocalists, Julie Driscoll as the female vocalist and Brian Auger on Hammond organ. After Steampacket broke up in 1966, Baldry formed Bluesology featuring Reg Dwight on keyboards and Elton Dean, later of Soft Machine, as well as Caleb Quaye on guitar. Dwight, when he began to record as a solo artist, adopted the name Elton John, his first name from Elton Dean and his surname from John Baldry. Who's Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day: Elton John. Routledge UK, 2002, Page 214. . Following the departure of Elton John and Bluesology, Baldry was left without a backup band. Attending a show in the Mecca at Shaftesbury Avenue, he saw a five-piece harmony group called Chimera from Plymouth, Devon, who had recently turned professional. He approached them after their set and said how impressed he was by their vocal harmonies and that they would be ideal to back him on the cabaret circuit he was currently embarked on. This they did. Solo artist In 1967, he recorded a pop song "Let the Heartaches Begin" that went to number one in Britain, followed by a 1968 top 20 hit titled "Mexico", which was the theme of the UK Olympic team that year. "Let the Heartaches Begin" made the lower reaches of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the US. Baldry was still touring, doing gigs with Bluesology, but the band refused to back his rendition of "Let the Heartaches Begin", and left the stage while he performed to a backing-tape played on a large Revox tape-recorder. In 1971, John and Stewart each produced one side of It Ain't Easy which became Baldry's most popular album and made the top 100 of the US album chart. The album featured "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll" which became his most successful song in the US. Baldry's first tour of the US was at this time. The band included Micky Waller, Ian Armitt, Pete Sears, and Sammy Mitchell. Stewart and John would again co-produce his 1972 album Everything Stops For Tea which also made the lower reaches of the US album charts. The same year, Baldry worked with ex-Procol Harum guitarist Dave Ball. Baldry had mental health problems and was institutionalised for a brief time in 1975. The 1979 album Baldry's Out was recorded in Canada, which he released at Zolly's Forum; a nightclub in Oshawa, underneath the Oshawa Shopping Centre. In a 1997 interview with a German television programme Baldry claimed to be the last person to see singer Marc Bolan before Bolan's death on 16 September 1977, having conducted an interview with the fellow singer for an American production company, he says, just before Bolan was killed in a car accident. Move to Canada, later career After time in New York City and Los Angeles in 1978, Baldry settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he became a Canadian citizen. He toured the west coast, as well as the US Northwest. Baldry also toured the Canadian east. In 1976, he teamed with Seattle singer Kathi McDonald who became part of the Long John Baldry Band, touring Canada and the US. In 1979 the pair recorded a version of The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin", following which McDonald became part of his touring group for two decades. The song entered the US Billboard charts but was a No. 2 hit in Australia in 1980. He last recorded with the Stony Plain label. His 1997 album Right To Sing The Blues won a Juno Award in the Blues Album of the Year category in the Juno Awards of 1997. In 2003 Baldry headlined the British Legends of Rhythm and Blues UK tour, alongside Zoot Money, Ray Dorset and Paul Williams. He played Columbus, Ohio, on 19 July 2004, at Barristers Hall with guitarist Bobby Cameron, in a show produced by Andrew Myers. They played to a small group, some came from Texas. Two years previously the two had a 10-venue sell-out tour of Canada. Baldry's final UK Tour as 'The Long John Baldry Trio' concluded with a performance on Saturday 13 November 2004 at The King's Lynn Arts Centre, King's Lynn, Norfolk, England. The trio consisted of LJB, Butch Coulter on harmonica and Dave Kelly on slide guitar.http://www.gtamusic.co.uk/long_john_baldry.htm Personal life Baldry was openly gay during the early 1960s, at least amongst his friends and industry peers. However, he did not make a formal public acknowledgement of this until the 1970s—possibly because until 1967 in Britain, male homosexuality was still a criminal offence that could lead to forced medication and/or jail time. In 1968, Elton John tried to commit suicide after relationship problems with a woman, Linda Woodrow. His lyricist Bernie Taupin and BaldryBurnett, Richard (20 July 2012), Three Dollar Bill (column), "Sugar Bear" (prior versions of 2007 and 2005 archived at hour.ca). Retrieved 4 November 2014. found him, and Baldry talked him out of marrying her. The song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" from Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy was about the experience. The name "Sugar Bear" in the song is a reference to Baldry. Baldry had a brief relationship with lead-guitarist of The Kinks, Dave Davies. }} In 1978 his then-upcoming album Baldry's Out announced his formal coming out, and he addressed sexuality problems with a cover of Canadian songwriter Bill Amesbury's "A Thrill's a Thrill".Mark Kowalk, Pioneering gay blues musician Long John Baldry dies Xtra! West 4 August 2005; http://www.xtra.ca. Death Baldry died 21 July 2005, in Vancouver General Hospital, of a severe chest infection. He was seen by his partner, Felix "Oz" Rexach, Rexach, a native of New York City, who had been Baldry's partner for over 25 years. See Review of Paul Myers, It Ain't Easy: Long John Baldry and the Birth of the British Blues (Douglas & McIntyre). a brother, Roger, and a sister, Margaret.Pioneering gay blues musician Long John Baldry dies. Music legend leaves the gay community proud. By Mark Kowalk Aug 10, 2005, 8:00 PM EDT. Accessed September 23, 2018 Discography Albums Singles EPs Other Recordings Appearances On Other Albums * (1960) 6 Out Of 4 ~ The Thames-Side Four - Folklore (F-EP/1) Live recording of the group with LJB on guitar and vocals. * (1962) R&B from the Marquee ~ Blues Incorporated - Decca (ACL 1130) Baldry provides lead vocals on three tracks including 'How Long, How Long Blues.' * (1970) The First Supergroup ~ The Steampacket - BYG Records (529.706) Recorded December 1965 the album features tracks with LJB on lead vocals * (1971) The First Rhythm & Blues Festival In England ~ Various Artists - BYG Records (529.705) Recorded live in Feb 1964 Baldy sings '2.19' and 'Mojo Working' * (1971) Every Picture Tells A Story ~ Rod Stewart - Mercury (6338 063) LJB provides backing vocals on the title track and 'Seems Like A Long Time'. * (1972) Mar Y Sol: The First International Puerto Rico Pop Festival ~ Various Artists - Atco Records (SD 2-705) Baldry sings a live version of the self-penned 'Bring My Baby Back To Me'. * (1975) Dick Deadeye: Original Soundtrack ~ Various Artists - GM Records (GML 1018) ''Soundtrack to the animated film of the same name with LJB taking lead vocals on three tracks. * (1975) Sumar Á Sýrlandi ~ Stuðmenn - Egg (EGG 0000 1/13) Rare Icelandic album. Baldry sings the track 'She Broke My Heart'. * (1996) Bone, Bottle, Brass or Steel ~ Doug Cox - Malahat Mountain LJB performs 'Good Morning Blues' accompanied by Doug Cox. * (1998) You Got The Bread... We Got The Jam! ~ Schuld & Stamer - Blue Streak Records (BSCD98001) Long John joins with acoustic blues duo Schuld & Stamer on several tracks. * (2002) For Fans Only! ~ Genya Ravan - AHA Music Features a rare duet with Ravan and Baldry on 'Something's Got A Hold On Me'. Recorded in 1978. * (2011) The Definitive Steampacket Recordings ~ The Steampacket - Nasty Productions Features two previously unreleased Steampacket tracks with LJB on lead vocals. * (2013) Radio Luxembourg Sessions: 208 Rhythm Club - Vol. 5 ~ Various Artists - Vocalion (CDNJT 5319) October 1961 recording. LJB sings 'Every Day I Have The Blues' '' * (2013) Radio Luxembourg Sessions: 208 Rhythm Club - Vol. 6 ~ Various Artists - Vocalion (CDNJT 5320) ''October 1961 recording of LJB singing 'The Glory Of Love'. TV Specials *(1965) Rod The Mod *(1974) The Gospel According To Long John *(1985) Long John Baldry: Rockin' The Blues *(1987) Long John Baldry At The Maintenance Shop *(1993) Long John Baldry In Concert *(1993) Leverkusen Blues Festival '93: The Long John Baldry Band *(1993) Waterfront Blues Festival: Long John Baldry *(1997) Leverkusen Blues Festival '97: Long John Baldry & Tony Ashton *(1998) Café Campus Blues with Long John Baldry *(2001) Happy Birthday Blues: Long John Baldry & Friends *(2007) Long John Baldry: In The Shadow Of The Blues Acting credits * (1971) Up The Chastity Belt Film - as Little John * (1973) The Big Rock Candy Mountain Play - as The Cowboy aka Narrator * (1975) Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done film - as The Major General / Monarch Of The Sea * (1985) Star Wars: Ewoks TV series - as Additional Voices * (1985) Star Wars: Droids TV series - as Proto One / The Great Heep * (1988) Peter Pan: The Musical Play - as Captain Hook * (1989) Captain N: The Game Master TV series - as King Charles / Little John / Clock Man / The Poltergeist King * (1989) Dragon Warrior TV series - as Narrator * (1990) The New Adventures of He-Man TV series - as Treylus (uncredited) * (1990) Angel Square Film - as Radio Announcer * (1990) The Comic Book Christmas Caper Film - as Voice * (1990) A Klondike Christmas TV special - as Bear-Paw * (1991) Captain Zed and the Zee Zone TV series - as Captain Spring * (1991) MacGyver series - as Man #2 * (1991) Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars TV series - as KOMPLEX * (1991) Nilus the Sandman: The Boy Who Dreamed Christmas TV Christmas special - as Nilus the Sandman * (1992) Bucky O'Hare: The Arcade Game Game - as KOMPLEX * (1993) Jack's Place series - as Tall Man * (1993) Hurricanes TV series - as Additional Voices * (1993) Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog TV series - as Doctor Robotnik * (1993) Madeline TV series - as Greybeard the Pirate * (1994) ReBoot TV series - as Captain Capacitor / Old Man Pearson * (1994) Nilus the Sandman: Monsters in the Closet TV special - as Nilus the Sandman * (1995) Blame It One The Blues Film - as Bartender * (1995) Nilus the Sandman: The First Day TV special - as Nilus the Sandman * (1996) Nilus the Sandman TV series - as Nilus the Sandman * (1996) The Adventures of Corduroy TV series - as Mr. Tusk * (1997) The Original Story Of Winnie The Pooh Audiobook - as Narrator * (1998) Camelot: The Legend film - as Merlin * (1998) Pocket Dragon Adventures TV series - as King Bigoty * (1998) Fat Dog Mendoza TV series - as The Golden Volcano God * (1998) RoboCop: Alpha Commando TV series - as The Premier * (1999) Toad Patrol TV series - as Mistle-Toad * (1999) Sabrina the Animated Series TV series - as Captain Jean Lafitte * (2002) The New Beachcombers special - as Member Of JJ's Jugband * (2002) Snow Queen Film - Rutger The Reindeer (voice) * (2003) Ben Hur film - as Balthazar Bibliography * Bob Brunning (1986) Blues: The British Connection, London: Helter Skelter, 2002, * Bob Brunning, The Fleetwood Mac Story: Rumours and Lies - Omnibus Press, 2004, foreword by B.B.King * Dick Heckstall-Smith (2004) The safest place in the world: A personal history of British Rhythm and blues, Clear Books, - First Edition: Blowing The Blues - Fifty Years Playing The British Blues * Christopher Hjort Strange brew: Eric Clapton and the British blues boom, 1965-1970, foreword by John Mayall, Jawbone (2007), * Paul Myers: Long John Baldry and the Birth of the British Blues, Vancouver 2007 - GreyStone Books * Harry Shapiro Alexis Korner: The Biography, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London 1997, Discography by Mark Troster References External links * Official website replaced with archived version * https://web.archive.org/web/20040606142059/http://www.johnbaldry.com/aboutljb.asprecovered archived section of his website * Musical Tree ~ JohnBaldry.com (Baldry band memberships) Archived version of page * Profile at GTA agency recovered archived version of site * [http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/Today/2005/07/23/1144011-sun.html London (Ontario) Free Press report of death published 23 July 2005] * Long John Baldry ~ VH1 profile * class=artist|id=p264/biography|pure_url=yes}} Long John Baldry: Biography ~ AllMusic.com * [http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/62010/long-john-baldry-dies-at-64 Billboard report on Baldry's death 22 July 2005] * * Long John Baldry and The Marquee Club * It Ain't Easy: Long John Baldry and the Birth of the British Blues (Paperback) * Long John Baldry: In the Shadow of the Blues (documentary) * Category:1941 births Category:2005 deaths Category:20th-century English actors Category:20th-century English singers Category:21st-century English actors Category:21st-century English singers Category:British rhythm and blues boom musicians Category:English blues singers Category:English buskers Category:English male singers Category:English voice actors Category:Canadian male singers Category:Canadian voice actors Category:Gay actors Category:Gay musicians Category:Infectious disease deaths in British Columbia Category:Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year winners Category:LGBT musicians from Canada Category:LGBT musicians from England Category:LGBT singers Category:Naturalized citizens of Canada Category:English blues guitarists Category:English male guitarists Category:20th-century Canadian musicians Category:Canadian blues guitarists Category:Canadian guitarists Category:English emigrants to Canada Category:All-Stars (band) members Category:Steampacket members Category:Blues Incorporated members Category:20th-century guitarists Category:20th-century singers Category:21st-century singers Category:People educated at Canons High School Category:Bluesology members Category:Audiobook narrators Category:Stony Plain Records artists